Religion Or Christianity, Which do you Have?

Let's talk about Christianity. First of all, Christianity is not a religion though it's talked about very often in those terms. Let's define religion. Religion is "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods." In that respect, Christianity can be classified as a religion. However, practically speaking, Christianity has a major difference that separates it from all other belief systems that are considered religions. That difference is relationship! In that regard, Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship that God has established with His adopted children through their belief in what Jesus did for them on the cross. Religion refers not to Christianity in particular, rather it refers to a belief that comes from a set of rules that identify the religion. Christianity is based on the teachings and activities of Jesus Christ. Religion is a method to control your life and Christianity is a way of life! Christianity manifests itself from the inside of a person to the outside (lifestyle) whereas religion starts from the outside to cause external operation. In other words, by religion, I'm referring to any humanly devised system of belief that teaches that by keeping their set of rules and requirements, a person can gain access to God. Only those who are saved by Jesus Christ have access to God. Scripture is very clear, religion does not have the power to save anyone! Let's relate the question (the title of this message), to a passage of Scripture found in John 5:1-16. In the text, we're shown mounting opposition and unbelief toward Jesus by the religious leaders. At the core of their hostility toward Jesus was that the Lord confronted their man-made religious traditions, and in this case, their Sabbath laws. Understand that Jesus never broke the Sabbath as God intended for the Jewish people to observe. They thought that by adhering to the Law of Moses, they could gain access to God. In fact, over hundreds of years, they added their own traditions to Moses' Law. No one can gain access to God by keeping God's law, because no one can keep it perfectly, which is the requirement! Let's continue the teaching in the next lesson, entitled, "Religion Or Christianity, Which do you Have?" Part 2.